Ask HN: What can one do for climate change that is bigger than just local

4 pointsby cx42net6 jaar geleden4 comments

Hi,

I'm trying my best every day on improving my lifestyle in order to reduce my carbon footprint - going by foot/bike, recycling, reducing the amount of plastic, etc.

But this feels local. I feel like it has a minimal impact and it's clearly not enough compared to the global crisis.

One would say that I could "lead by example" and hope that more and more people will follow up. I agree with that, but it's not enough.

What I'm trying to do is find a way to drastically change things. Something that will have a resonating impact - at least on my area. Bigger the better.

And I'm stuck here.

I could go into politics, but discussing with my "conservative" (to say the least) father made me realize that I will have to fight against opposition about any ecological suggestion I might have.

I could build a website to interest people about the matter, but I think "ecological influencers" are doing a better job that I ever will.

I'd love to go into chemistry, and find an efficient way to absorb CO2 in the atmosphere - that would definitely have the biggest impact - but I don't have the knowledge to do so, and going deep in this road might lead to nothing in the end (there is no guarantee to find a solution).

I could educate my children about it - which is what I'm already doing - but it's a job that will take years, with a "return of investment" in two decades, where it might be too late.

So here I am, thinking about what I could do that is bigger than just me and my surroundings, and I fail to find a solution.

I know there are some brilliant minds on HN, and I'm hoping this will bring enough suggestions to feed more than me on that quest.

Thoughts?

5 comments

a3n6 jaar geleden

Trucker here. You could work on replacing diesel trucks with electric.

cx42net6 jaar geleden

That would be a great initiative, but I lack the funds to start that - and the credibility to create a company in that direction.

khuknows6 jaar geleden

You could possibly get a job at a company that does something like this or aims to?

cx42net6 jaar geleden

Unfortunately not from where I live (in the east of France)

jka6 jaar geleden

Talking and thinking about the problem and discussing it with others (like this thread, case in point) is good in itself. And local changes can and do influence the behaviour of other people (even though the concept of 'influencer' has taken on various odd connotations nowadays).

A lot depends on the environment you live in, but advocating and supporting changes in local transit infrastructure (particularly related to cycling) could match your efforts so far and also have a large measurable effect over time.

I don't know if there will be many simple large-scale wins, but another way to make a significant commitment on a long timescale could be to find a career in a renewable-energy related field and then use that as a way to discover more ideas, help renewables succeed, and figure out additional ways to contribute.